Kyoufu
Kyoufu (きょうふ lit. Dread) is the father of Loran Kagekyo, and her killer from her human days. He seems to have very strange goals and keeps most of them to himself. As a supporter of Jūsanseiza, he often acts in behalf of the group without hesitation. He is know throughout the spiritual worlds as The Man Who Never Falls, a name he gained from enduring a thousand cuts and never dying. Appearance Kyoufu has long dark grey hair that reaches down to his shoulders and piercing golden eyes. His body is very muscular, evident by the fact he doesn’t wear a shirt. He has strange tattoos going up his arms that seem to ripple of their own volition, perhaps because of his spiritual energy creating the illusion. Kyoufu seems to always have a scared look, like his plans alway go wrong. Personality Kyoufu is aloof and stark no matter the situation, calculating every move. After having his heart trampled on by everyone he called friend, he decided to find a group of people who no longer cared and came across the Jūsanseiza. During combat, Kyoufu’s ruthless actions have become something he uses to break his opponents. History Sometime before the start of the series, he met a unnamed Tenshi woman who fell in love with him, a young wannabe Alchemist who swore he found the secret to endless life. This would one day prove his fatal mistake, as a few years later, he would find out Kyoufu’s life was full of turmoil and heartbreak, leading to his downfall as a Shinigami who fought for justice and rebirth as a cynical fiend. When he was but a child, he learned how to modify anything into a weapon, something his only daughter, Loran, could never do. When the girl was born, he hated her because it was her birth that killed his wife, and in despair Kyoufu killed Loran by slowly poisoning her. When he awoke to the gravity of his mistake, he took his own life, hoping to find atonement. When he awoke, he was in the Soul Society’s Zaraki District, known for it’s violence. He never expected to be sent to the better of two outcomes, but later learned that it was his hope of atonement that allowed him to be saved. Kyoufu was accepted into the Academy. Years after he graduated, Kyoufu was sent to Earth to kill Hollows. During this conflict, a Menos attacked, forcing him to defend the innocent pluses in the area. With just one shot of his Zanpakto, he obliterated the Menos as though it were nothing. When he returned to the Seireitei, he was reassigned to the Royal Guard for his bravery and skill when facing such a monster. This both overjoyed him and broke his heart. Without saying anything, he left his division behind to fulfill a new life, far beyond his past mistakes. While working for the Fourth Ring, Kyoufu’s darkness took over, and when he was ridiculed for being so strong without his Bankai, he decided to no longer bend his knee to anything other than something that would accept him as is. Then he met Aizen. Aizen taught him how to properly awaken his power, and in exchange all Kyoufu had to do was gather souls for his Hogokyu.This seemed like a good deal to him, and he brought many to his master for use. Aizen then betrayed him, driving Kyoufu into madness, leading the younger Shinigami to find the Jūsanseiza, a group of like minded individuals as himself. Powers and Abilities Immense intellect: Kyoufu is very intelligent, comparable to Aizen in this regard. He has devised a faster way to produce a Hogokyu based on the data left by Urahara and Aizen, but all of the ones he has made are mere prototypes compared to the original two, thus they are useless without someone of great power. To further give proof, he was able to modify his Zanpakto to change form whenever he desired. Shunpo expert: Over the years Kyoufu has honed Shunpo to near unimaginable levels, allowing him to move between places in the blink of an eye and surprising many of his targets. Perfect regeneration: '''A self titled power, he is able to heal every wound, no matter the severity. Kyoufu has said the only weakness is speed, if one can overcome the speed of the healing, he can be defeated. '''Expert Swordsmanship: '''Kyoufu is a master swordfighter, able to keep Hayashi Kagekyo on his toes. He uses a unique sword style that involves launching his opponent into the air, where they are defenseless. His sword strikes are rapid blurs from the opponent’s point of view. '''Master Marksman: Using his Zanpakto's sealed form to the fullest, Kyoufu loves to pinpoint the least critical parts on the human body, wounding someone without killing them. When he chooses to, his target may never be aware of what occured, but because of his sadistic streak in combat, this rarely ever happens. Massive spiritual energy: As a Shinigami who was once a member of the Fourth Ring his energy is thick and rough. According to Loran, it seemed like the Devil himself was there, not a former member of the Royal Guard. Even the half-breed demon Hayashi balked at the sheer density, comparing it to Margin Heart. Zanpakto Hiyarito (ひやりと, lit Cool or Chill) Kyoufu’s Zanpakto takes the form of a gun, something uncommon amongst Shinigami. The true gun is a Smith and Wesson 500 revolver, although he can change that at will into a shotgun or a 9mm pistol. Kyoufu explains that some guns are made to shoot animals, some to stop a human, or to just destroy whatever gets in the way, so he modified his Zanpakto to change form while still sealed. Interestingly, 120 years before the story, it looked more like a blunderbuss. Shikai: Hiyarito is released by the command''' Burn my heart'. After releasing, Hiyarito changes into a mass of blue flower petals comparable to Senbonzakura’s Shikai. These blue flower petals are actually a large number of ice crystals that Kyoufu can manipulate at will. '''Bankai': When Kyoufu calls forth his Bankai, Hiyarito becomes 'Zetsubouteki Hiyarito '(ぜ つぼうて ひやりと lit. Hopeless Chill). To some surprise, his sealed state returns. To use his power, he must shoot himself in the head to create a blue fog made up of icy needles. Every time he shoots himself, the fog grows thicker, but it rapidly consumes his Reitsu. Equipment Custom Rapier: Because of his Zanpakto's shape, Kyoufu perfers to carry a sword for close combat. This French Rapier was modified to use Reishi to enhance the edge, reducing the chance of it breaking. the blade itself is also stiffer than most, making the blade bend less on impacts. Kyoufu's fighting style seems to rely on this fact. Trivia His appearance is taken from the Persona 3 (FEStival and Portable) charecter Takaya Sakaki. His Bankai's effect is based on the Evokers from the same game. His theme song would be Live Free or Let Me Die by Skillet.